Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. With records of games as early as 28 November 1862,[3] Notts County is recognised as the oldest association football team in the world now playing at a professional level. Between 1888–89 and 2013–14 they played a total of 4,756 Football League matches – more than any other English team. The team plays in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. County play their home games at Meadow Lane in black and white striped shirts.

The club has had several spells in the top division of English football, most recently in 1991–92, when County played in the old First Division. Notable former managers of Notts County include Jimmy Sirrel, Howard Wilkinson, Neil Warnock, Howard Kendall and Sam Allardyce. The club has had several owners. In the 21st century, a series of financial problems has seen the club owned by a supporters' trust, which sold the club to Munto Finance – a subsidiary of Qadbak Investments. Further monetary difficulties saw the club sold, for a nominal fee, to Peter Trembling, who then sold the club to Ray Trew for £1 after the club had been served with two winding up petitions from HM Revenue and Customs due to demands for a late PAYE tax payment of around £500,000.

Notts County are the oldest professional league club in the world having been formed in 1862.[1][4]

Notts pre-dated The Football Association and initially played a game of its own devising, rather than association football. At the time of its formation, Notts County, like most sports teams, were considered to be a "gentlemen-only" club. Notts County are considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern game and are the oldest of the world's professional association football clubs (there are older professional clubs in other codes of football, and Sheffield F.C., an amateur club founded in 1857, are the oldest club now playing association football).[5]

In 1888, Notts County, along with 11 other football clubs, became a founding member of The Football League.[8] They finished their first league season in 11th place, but avoided the dubious honour of the wooden spoon, which went to Midlands rivals Stoke.[9] However, Notts County did achieve their highest ever league finish of third in 1890–91,[10] an achievement they repeated 10 seasons later.[11]

On 25 March 1891, Notts County reached the FA Cup final for the first time.[12] The Magpies were defeated 3–1 by Blackburn Rovers at The Oval, despite having beaten the same side 7–1 in the league only a week earlier.

Notts County made up for this on 31 March 1894, when they won the FA Cup at Goodison Park, defeating Bolton Wanderers 4–1 in a game in which Jimmy Logan scored the second hat-trick in FA Cup final history.[1] This achievement is also memorable for Notts County becoming the first club outside the top division to win the FA Cup: Notts County finished third in Division Two that season. In 1910 they moved to Meadow Lane.[1]

Notts County were relegated in 1926 in what was to be their last season in the English top flight for over half a century.[13] The 1925–26 season was the last season that famed giant goalkeeper Albert Iremonger played for the club. Legend among Notts County supporters it has been said he had 'hands like the claws of a JCB and was a seven foot tall monster'[14]

The club suspended all fixtures during the 1941–42 season after Meadow Lane was hit by enemy bombing.[15] In the 1946–47 season, the ground was used temporarily by Nottingham Forest after the River Trent flooded both Meadow Lane and the City Ground.[16] Forest again used Meadow Lane in 1968, after fire destroyed the main stand at the City Ground.[17] The 'golden age' of the club came just after the end of World War II.[1] County stunned the footballing world by signing Tommy Lawton from Chelsea for £20,000 a then-record fee.[15]

Lawton's arrival increased crowds by over 10,000. One incident during this period saw 10,000 fans locked outside the ground. In the 1949–50 season, Notts County clinched the Third Division (South) championship.[18] Crowds averaged 35,000 as The Magpies held off Nottingham Forest in a thrilling championship race.[1] The 1950–51 season was to be the last season in which Notts County would compete in a higher league than their city rivals.[citation needed]

As the 1950s drew to a close, Nottingham Forest replaced Notts County as the city's biggest club. After the 1957–58 season, the two clubs would not play each other again in a League match for 16 years, on 26 December 1973.[19]

The Magpies struggled during the 1960s, being on the brink of financial ruin and striving to avoid the indignity of having to apply for re-election to the league.[citation needed] This situation continued until Jack Dunnett, a local member of parliament, took control of the club.[20] He appointed Jimmy Sirrel, a charismatic Scot who had once played for Celtic F.C., as manager in November 1969.[20] In the 1970–71 season, The Magpies clinched the Fourth Division title in record-breaking style, remaining unbeaten at Meadow Lane.[21]

Two seasons later, Notts County were again promoted, this time to Division Two.[22] It marked an amazing turnaround in form under Sirrel and would also renew meetings with old adversaries Forest.[citation needed] Sirrel departed for Sheffield United in October 1975 but returned two years later.[citation needed]

Sirrel completed the remarkable transformation of Notts County in May 1981.[citation needed] He had turned The Magpies from Fourth Division strugglers to a top division side in little over a decade, ending an absence of 55 years from the top flight.[1] This achievement was with the same chairman (Jack Dunnett) and trainer (Jack Wheeler) throughout the decade.[citation needed]

In one of the most famous moments in the club's modern history, Notts County visited newly crowned champions Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.[citation needed] The Villa team had paraded their League Championship trophy to an expectant crowd before kickoff, but against all odds, County came away with a 1–0 victory.[citation needed] After surviving relegation at the end of the season, Sirrel became the club's general manager, with his assistant Howard Wilkinson taking over as manager.[citation needed] County survived relegation a little more comfortably the following season, but Wilkinson was tempted away by the manager's job at his boyhood club, Sheffield Wednesday, and the board recruited former Wigan Athletic manager Larry Lloyd to replace him. Despite a good run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they eventually lost to Everton, the club had a poor league campaign that ultimately resulted in their relegation.[citation needed] This poor form continued into the following season, resulting in Lloyd's dismissal with the club bottom of the Second Division. Richie Barker took over as manager, but failed to improve the club's fortunes, and was dismissed after less than six months in charge.[citation needed]

Jimmy Sirrel took charge of the team once again, and while the club's form improved, it came too late, and County suffered their second successive relegation.[citation needed] After two decent but unremarkable finishes in the Third Division, Sirrel finally retired in 1987, bringing to a close one of the most successful and memorable periods in Notts County's history.[citation needed] He was replaced by John Barnwell, who nearly steered the club to automatic promotion in the season that followed, but a late stumble meant they had to settle for the play-offs, where they lost to eventual winners Walsall.[citation needed] The team failed to repeat their form the following season and instead found themselves battling relegation to the Fourth Division, resulting in Barnwell being dismissed just before Christmas.[citation needed]

The following season was disappointing, seeing Notts County relegated from the top flight after just one season back there. Their first game of that season was a prestigious visit to Manchester United at Old Trafford, where they lost 2–0. However, they did manage to hold the Reds to a 1–1 draw in the return game at Meadow Lane just after the turn of the year, as United began a dismal second half of the season which ultimately cost them the league title. County's relegation came shortly after the sale of strikers Paul Rideout and Tommy Johnson, which raked in nearly £2million in total and contributed towards a £5million stadium revamp which saw Meadow Lane rebuilt on three sides shortly afterwards.[23]

With the introduction of the Premier League, County were relegated from the old Division One to the new Division One. Warnock was dismissed in January 1993 and was succeeded by Mick Walker. Walker successfully averted a second consecutive relegation.[citation needed]

The Magpies narrowly missed the play-offs for promotion to the Premiership.[citation needed] The season is most remembered for a 2–1 victory over archrivals Nottingham Forest in which Charlie Palmer scored the winning goal with just four minutes remaining. Notts had led for much of the game, until Forest got a free kick from which they equalised. Notts fans were reluctantly resigning themselves to a draw, when Palmer headed in the winner. This was all the more remarkable because he only scored 4 goals in his whole career. The game has become a celebrated event among Notts County fans, who have dubbed 12 February (the anniversary of the game) Sir Charlie Palmer Day, and Charlie Palmer has been referred to as "Sir Charlie" by Notts fans ever since.[24] In March 1994, Notts County lost the Anglo-Italian Cup final to Brescia.[citation needed]

Walker was surprisingly sacked in September 1994.[citation needed] This event triggered a dramatic decline in the club's fortunes that has persisted to the present. Notts won the Anglo-Italian Cup at Wembley in March 1995, but ended the season relegated to Division Two, with Walker, Russell Slade, Howard Kendall and Steve Nicol each taking control of the team at different times throughout the season, before the club appointed yet another manager, Colin Murphy after the season ended.[25] County made another visit to Wembley Stadium in the 1996 play-off final, but missed the chance of a return to Division One with a 2–0 defeat to Bradford City.[26]

The following season ranks among the club's worst, as they managed just seven victories all season and finished in the bottom position of the league table.[27] Relegation to the league's basement division happened just six years after promotion to the top flight. However, success followed relegation under Sam Allardyce.[28] The Magpies secured the Division Three title in March 1998 by a record margin of seventeen points.[29] They became the first side since World War II to win promotion in mid-March, with six games still remaining.[30]

Allardyce left in October 1999 to join his old team Bolton Wanderers.[31] In September 2003, Notts County faced the real possibility of dissolution.[32] Crippling debts and an increasingly impatient Football League board combined to leave the future of the league's oldest club in doubt.[32] However, the considerable efforts of a group of local businessmen and the club's supporters helped save the club from extinction.[33] But despite new ownership, the club were unable to avoid relegation back to the bottom division in 2004.[34] In a similar circumstance as their relegation in 1992, due to the rebranding of the Football League, County went from Division Two to League Two.[citation needed]

Ian Richardson replaced Gary Mills as manager in November 2004.[35] Richardson managed to guide the club away from the relegation zone and held the manager's job until the end of the season when Gudjon Thordarson became the club's sixth manager in five years.[36] The 2005–06 season began well for the Magpies: they won or drew their first seven league games and were top of the table in September.[37] But their form dropped and they escaped relegation only on the final day of the season with a 2–2 draw against Bury, whilst Oxford United lost and went down.[citation needed] The Magpies' 21st place in League Two, and 89th place overall, was the lowest position the club had ever finished, and at the end of the season both the chairman and the manager left, a long-standing youth squad programme was ended, and many of the first-team players were out-of-contract or nearing contract maturity.[citation needed]

In June 2009, it was announced that County were in talks on a takeover by Munto Finance, a Middle Eastern consortium owned by Qadbak Investments and represented by Nathan and Peter Willett. Speculated by the British media and supported in part by various press releases, the club were believed to be given multimillion-pound backing and were linked during the takeover's initial planning stages with the Qatariroyal family by British tabloids; however, the latter claim was denied by the family.[38] The supporters' trust, which owned the majority 60% share in the club, voted in favour of the takeover.[39] On 14 July 2009, the takeover was confirmed, with Peter Trembling being appointed as executive chairman.[40] A week later former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson was announced as the club's new director of football,[1][41] having been persuaded by convicted fraudster Russell King to join Notts County.[42] On 28 July 2009, the club unveiled a new logo.[43]

On 20 October 2009, the League announced that County's owners had met its "fit and proper persons" regulations, and that while their structure was "complicated" and featured "both offshore entities and discretionary trusts", it had provided "extensive disclosure" to the League on their ownership structure.[44] The League also stated that public disclosure of their ownership structure was a "matter for the club".[44] On 27 November 2009, The Guardian revealed that the league reopened its inquiries into the ownership of Notts County.[45] The League chairman, Brian Mawhinney, confirmed the club has been sent a series of questions relating to its ownership structure.[45]

On 12 December 2009 Peter Trembling purchased the club for a nominal fee from Munto Finance.[46]

Hans Backe, Eriksson's former assistant at Manchester City, was given the job of manager in October 2009 . He signed a three-year deal and stated his intent to get the club promoted to League 1, but resigned two months later after just nine games in charge.[47]

Ray Trew bought the club in February 2010[48] after the club had been served with two winding up petitions from HM Revenue and Customs due to demands for a late PAYE payment of around £500,000.[49] After two months without a permanent manager, Steve Cotterill was given the Notts County job until the end of the 2009–2010 season in February 2010.[50][51] Cotterill led the club to the League Two title after a 5–0 away win against the already-relegated Darlington,[52] becoming the third club to win the fourth tier of English football three times. A month after winning the title Cotterill stated that he would not be renewing his contract at Meadow Lane. Ex-Notts County player Craig Short replaced Cotterill as Manager but was relieved of duties along with Assistant Manager Dave Kevan on 24 October 2010.[53]

Four days later Paul Ince was appointed manager[54] and the following day Alex Rae was appointed as Ince's assistant.[55] In April 2011 Ince left the club by mutual consent. Carl Heggs was then appointed caretaker manager before Martin Allen became his permanent successor.[56] Allen turned around the team's poor form in the league and managed to avoid relegation. Allen was relieved of duties on 18 February 2012.[57] He was replaced with Keith Curle, who was able to improve the form of the team as the club finished the 2011–12 season in seventh position, missing out on the play-offs by goal difference only. Curle left the club on 3 February 2013.[58]

On 3 February 2013 Chris Kiwomya was appointed caretaker manager.[59] On 27 March 2013, he was appointed full-time manager on a three-year deal.[60] On 27 October 2013 Kiwomya left the club by mutual consent.[61]

On 6 November 2013 Shaun Derry was appointed manager.[62] Despite it looking as though the team would be relegated from League One, Derry was able to turn the team's fortunes around in a run that saw them take 19 points from the last 9 games of the 2013–14 season and avoid relegation thanks to a 1–1 draw away at Oldham Athletic on the final day.[63] On 23 March 2015 Derry and assistant manager Greg Abbott were sacked after winning only three games in 24 matches since November 2014.[64]

On 7 April 2015 Ricardo Moniz was appointed manager on a three-year contract.[65] On 29 December 2015 Moniz along with assistant manager Dave Kevin and defensive coach Dean Yates were sacked.[66] In the interim period the club placed academy manager Mick Halsall and under-21s coach Richard Dryden in charge of the first team, supported by goalkeeping coach Kevin Pilkington and Mike Edwards, player and fitness coach.[67]

On 10 January 2016 Jamie Fullarton was appointed manager on a three-and-a-half year contract.[68]

On 25 February 2016 Ray Trew stepped down as chairman.[69] On 19 March 2016 Fullarton was sacked as manager after just 12 matches.[70]

On 20 March 2016, Mark Cooper was appointed manager initially until the end of the season with the contract to be made permanent if a certain – undisclosed – points total was achieved.[71] On 7 May 2016 Cooper left the club at the end of his short term contract.[72]

On 27 May 2016, John Sheriden left Oldham Athletic to be manager on a three-year contract.[73]

Notts County's first known colours were amber and black hooped shirts, dating from the 1870s. This was followed by short spells playing in amber, then chocolate and blue halves. In 1890 the club adopted black and white striped shirts, and have played in these colours for most of the rest of their history.[74]

The Italian football club Juventus F.C. derived its famous black-and-white striped kits from Notts County. Juventus have played in black and white striped shirts, with white shorts, sometimes black shorts since 1903. Originally, they played in pink shirts with a black tie, which only occurred due to the wrong shirts being sent to them, the father of one of the players made the earliest shirts, but continual washing faded the colour so much that in 1903 the club sought to replace them.[75] Juventus asked one of their team members, Englishman John Savage, if he had any contacts in England who could supply new shirts in a colour that would better withstand the elements. He had a friend who lived in Nottingham, who being a Notts County supporter, shipped out the black and white striped shirts to Turin.[76]

“

Juve have worn the shirts ever since, considering the colours to be aggressive and powerful.[76]

”

On 8 September 2011 to mark the opening of the new Stadium in Turin, Juventus invited Notts County for an historic exhibition match. The game ended 1–1 with goals from Luca Toni and Lee Hughes coming in the second half.[77][78]

^ ab"Black & White". Notts County F.C. official website. 21 May 2007. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Extracts taken from the Official History of Notts County and article kindly reproduced by the Daily Mail.